A new study supports the idea that U.S. dominance in engineering and science is threatened — but not for lack of training and education. It has more to do with a lack of social and economic incentives.

For Halloween, from the minotaur to Frankenstein to Godzilla — a history of monsters from the dawn of time.

Matthew Hoh, a former Marine captain, became the first foreign service official to publicly resign in protest over the war in Afghanistan. The move has generated a lot of reaction. You can read Hoh’s resignation letter, posted by The Washington Post, which reported on it here.

The U.S. economy grows. Bombs from Baghdad to Pakistan. And a vaccine shortage all over. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

Novelist John Irving — “Garp,” “Cider House Rules” — is at it again. He’ll talk with us about his latest tale, “Last Night in Twisted River.”

Asian countries pour money and resources into higher education, while American universities go begging. We’ll ask former MIT president Charles Vest, and more, where this goes.

The moral and spiritual lives of young Americans. We’ll ask where they’re turning now for meaning.

Google, Apple and a whole tech universe are vying for the next great prize: mobile computing. We’ll ask how life changes with a smartphone in everyone’s pocket.

Our show today about the life and times of Thelonious Monk had us peering into the jazz world to look for the children of the “George Washington of be-bop.” Who are Monk’s musical and spiritual heirs?

Thelonious Monk. Jazz giant. American hipster. A new biography takes us into his life and enigmatic music.

Marijuana, medical marijuana, and the law. The Justice Department says it won’t go after legal users. Now the country must decide how to live with legalized pot.

This Old House turns 30. We’ll get up close with the beloved PBS series.

Taliban rising and fighting. We’ll ask who and what the Taliban really is today.

Cornel West — philosopher, teacher, intellectual, and lightning rod — riffs on his new memoir of “living and loving out loud.”

Pay cuts for bailout executives. Afghanistan schedules a runoff vote as Pakistan and the Taliban go at it. And the “public option” is back. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

The tempest over the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — and who speaks for American business.

Saad Eskander has faced down looters and gunfire as director of Iraq’s National Library and Archives. He joins us to look at Iraq’s future as US combat troops prepare to leave.

In today’s first hour, Whole Earth guru Stewart Brand and energy expert Amory Lovins debated whether the U.S. should build more nuclear power plants in the effort to reduce carbon emissions.

Amelia Earhart, vanished aviator, is back — in the movies, played by Hilary Swank. We’ll resurrect the Amelia Earhart story.

Whole Earth Catalog guru Stewart Brand now says we need nuclear energy and genetically modified food. We’ll ask him if he’s selling out, or getting real.